The moon was at its peak, shining brightly from the high heavens. Stars were scattered and kindly twinkling on the world below. The trees swayed slightly as the wind gently breezed. Kyoko looked around whilst appreciating the little things she had noticed. "Everything would have been perfect if only the peace we're experiencing isn't momentary", she thought.
She walked around the campfire and then settled down on a safe distance in front of it. It was the dead of the night and she couldn't sleep. It didn't matter to her that they were sleeping in the middle of the forest without any sleeping bags or tents. What kept her up was Yuni's precognition – that the final battle between Byakuran and the Vongola guardians will take place in a few hours. Being the worrywart that she is, she's obviously thinking about what will happen to her friends, to the kids, to the injured, to her brother, and most especially Tsuna.
Her chest suddenly tightened at the thought of him. And it became even worse as she tried to imagine the dangers he'll face in just a few moments. Pessimism attacked and images of a bloody and gravely injured Tsuna flashed her mind. "Get a grip!" she told herself whilst running her fingers through her hair. As she came to her senses, she felt somewhat guilty since she was even more concerned over Tsuna's safety than her own brother's. And she wondered why this is so. Poor naïve Kyoko didn't realise she's in love with the extraordinarily ordinary Tenth Boss of Vongola.
Tsuna took a stroll around the perimeters of their temporary hideout in the forest. The gentle breeze hit his face. Oddly enough, it was as though the wind was bringing nostalgia, and then out of the blue he started reminiscing.
He remembered how he was living his life like a loser before he met Reborn and before he was introduced to the terrifying mafia world. He pondered about the change that had occurred in him and his life when he was thrown into Vongola and other mafia-related stuff. "This whole mafia thing is really scary. I don't remember ever risking my life for anything in the past yet now, my life is always at stake whenever I fight in battles I never wished to get involved with. But then again, through the Vongola, my world has expanded. For the first time in my life I had friends and it kinda feels weird saying this but I don't feel like a loser anymore", he said to himself.
"Eek! Ouchouchouchouchouch!", he screamed. "What the hell was that?", he exclaimed as he glanced at his right foot. Turns out a big tree root was protruding and caused him to trip. "Tch, so much for thinking I'm not so much of a loser anymore… I'm still the same, I guess. Bleah, whatever… It's too troublesome to think about all this!"
Tsuna continued walking and before he knew it, he's already back. He spotted Kyoko and called out her name twice. "Huh… That's odd. She almost always looks up whenever I call out to her. She must be pretty deep in thought. Oh well, I'll just sit beside her", he thought as he settled down beside Kyoko. He looked at her and noticed her bright eyes gleaming as she stares at the crackling fire. This is nice, was what Tsuna thought. And then it hit him that moments like this are one of the reasons he's fighting.
"Eh, Tsuna-kun? How long have you been there?", exclaimed Kyoko. She finally noticed that she had company.
"A couple of minutes, I guess? You were pretty lost in your thoughts Kyoko-chan. Worried about the battle huh? Don't worry! I'll do whatever it takes to get everyone back to our own time. I promise you, soon it'll be all over. We won't be in this scary place anymore", answered Tsuna.
As he said this, he looked straight at Kyoko's eyes. Surprised by the conviction in his voice and his clear, honest and unwavering gaze, she smiled at him and held his hand. Right at that moment, Kyoko knew that everything will be alright. "Weird. I feel so safe and secure just being near Tsuna-kun. Weird. His hand feels so warm, I don't wanna let it go. Weird. My heart's beating really fast but it's not the bad kind of fast." As these thoughts crossed her mind, she felt that her face was getting hot. She's blushing, because of Tsuna?
Tsuna was bewildered. Kyoko's hand was on his! It was too good to be true. But this was a very rare chance, he thought. "Yosh Tsuna! Be a man! Just hold her hand already! This might be your last chance afterall…" It took him all he had just to hold her hand. His last thought made a strong impression on him. No, to be precise, the phrase last chance had a strong impact to him. His shocked face turned serious all of a sudden. Kyoko noticed this sudden changed and said "What's wrong Tsuna-kun?" Tsuna smiled and smoothened the crease on her eyebrows. A sudden surge of courage flowed through him and before it betrays him, words he never thought he'd say came out of his mouth.
"You know Kyoko-chan, I think you're really amazing and kind. You're always so nice to everyone and I love the fact that you're always smiling. I used to be just contented whenever I see you in school. When we became friends, you have no idea how happy I was. Well, what I'm trying to say is I really really really like you. I always have, since a long time ago. I know this is pretty messed up, since the timing's all wrong. But I don't know, I might not have another chance to say this. You don't have to say anything. I'm telling you this for my own satisfaction. But well, if, you know, wanna give me a proper reply, I'll be waiting."
Tsuna's voice trailed off. He looked nervous and he couldn't believe he just did THAT. On the other hand, Kyoko was astonished to know Tsuna's feelings. She looked lost for a second but regained composure on the next. The warm feeling inside her grew stronger and it's kinda ironic because even though they were to face off with strong adversities soon, Kyoko felt extremely blissful. She looked at him straight in his eyes and smiled. Her soft expression managed to calm Tsuna down. Kyoko held on to Tsuna's hand tighter and she placed her head on his shoulder.
"Like huh? I guess that explains all these funny things I'm feeling. Maybe I feel the same way... No, wait, I DO feel the same way. I'm certain of it now." Kyoko felt contented as she came upon this realisation.
"She's too good for me but still I guess it didn't hurt that I confessed. And maybe I'm not rejected. After all, she's still holding my hand. What's more, she's leaning on my shoulder. But if she does reject me, I'll understand. She's too good for me after all. She's interesting. I'm boring. She's popular with the crowd. I'm a loser who always gets bullied. If we were celestial objects, she'd be the bright sun, shining down on everyone. And I'll be the black hole, total nothingness." With that, Tsuna held her close to him. They stayed like that for a good while. And then daybreak came. So did their nightmares.